Wow. Now I feel like I have to answer this. But I can't exactly disagree with you, but on the other hand I've got to ask: "Greatest in what way?" No matter how you answer that, someone could offer a counter argument, something in which America is not so great, or even with some pretty terrible things about the US. I love my country, don't get me wrong, love it enough to die for it. But I've seen the other side many times. Let's start with your country. Canada produces the best wives (this is just in case my wife reads over my shoulder). In Canada you don't get strange looks when you order gravy on your fries. There are some government services and benefits which are superior in Canada. Canada hasn't spent a whole lot of money, energy, time and lives of it's youth trying to take over other countries around the world. It has stood with the "free world" in matters of international justice, though. Usually beats the US in curling. OK, some of those things are frivolous, some are serious. I really don't believe that you'd be any better off if you lived in the US. Except the gravy on fries thing.

Most countries in the world have a better health-care system than the US. I'm serious about that. As much as some of the members here hate their nation's health care, it's at least there for the rich and the poor when it's needed. You may not always get to have every high-tech test in the book, but most of you get the ones you really need when you need them.

I hope I'm not opening up arguments about the specifics, because I hate that, and I'll drop out of the discussion. All I want to say, is that every country has something to be said for it. Every country has some reason to love it.

The most important thing I want to say is that sure, Americans are better off in some ways than people in some other countries.. But no one is better just because he or she is American.

Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

a quick google search of what America is best at brought up these 40 fun facts:

01. The United States spends more on the military than the next 12 nations combined and yet the Obama administration is considering plans to unilaterally slash the size of the US nuclear arsenal by up to 80 percent.

02. The United States has the most foreign military bases in the world by far.

03. The United States exports more arms to other countries than anyone else in the world.

04. Every single year, the United States has the largest trade deficit in the world by far.

05. The United States has accumulated the biggest mountain of government debt in the history of the world.

06. According to nationmaster.com , the United States has the most total reported crimes in the world by far.

07. America has the highest incarceration rate and the largest total prison population in the entire world by a good margin.

08. The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world by a good margin.

09. There is more mortgage debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

10. Americans spend more money on elections than anyone else does in the world by a very wide margin.

11. The percentage of women taking antidepressants in America is higher than in any other country in the world.

12. There are more car thefts in the United States than anywhere else in the world by far.

13. Of all the major industrialized nations, America is the most obese Mexico is #2.

14. The average American drinks more than 600 sodas a year - the most in the world.

15. The United States produces more pornography than any other nation in the world.

16. The United States has the highest rate of illegal drug use on the entire globe.

17. US corporations sell more fast food and more soda than anyone else in the world by a wide margin.

18. There is more student loan debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

19. The United States leads the world in credit card fraud .

20. Americans take more prescription drugs than anyone else in the world.

21. More is spent on prescription drug advertising in America than anywhere else in the world.

22. The United States spends more money on government schools than any other nation on earth does.

23. There are more school shootings in America than anywhere else in the world.

24. There is more credit card debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

25. Nobody watches more television per week (28hours) than Americans do. Although to be honest, people living in the UK are tied with Americans.

26. The United States has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.

27. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world by far.

28. The United States has the highest child abuse death rate in the world.

29. There are more “ deaths by reptile “ in America than anywhere else in the world.

30. The United States has the most lawyers per capita in the entire world.

31. More people have been diagnosed with mental disorders in America than anywhere else on earth.

32. US citizens spend more time in school than anyone else in the world. So why are so many of us dumb as a rock?

33. Nobody in the world gets more plastic surgery done than Americans do.

34. The United States leads the world in eating disorder deaths.

35. Nobody has more airport security thugs groping women and children than America does.

36. The United States spends much more on health care as a percentage of GDP than any other nation on the face of the earth.

37. Americans spend more time sitting in traffic than anyone else in the world.

38. The United States has the most complicated tax system on the entire planet.

39. The US government wastes more money than any other government on earth does.

robertscott wrote:...
29. There are more “ deaths by reptile “ in America than anywhere else in the world.

30. The United States has the most lawyers per capita in the entire world.
...

These 2 are related, right?

Stu Ward
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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

3) The Soviet Union used to be #1. Many countries are still using old soviet weapons.
6) We're a large country with good reporting.
8) Not sure this is accurate. I think some European Counties may be higher.
12) Because we have more cars.
13 & 15) We're fat and horny!
16) Makes sense ... Americans have money and drugs are illegal here.
27) BS ... Maybe higher than Europe, but the rest of the world? Somehow I think most African countries have us beat considdering women marry very young and have tons of kids.
28) Better reporting?
29) No way in hell this is true. Do you know how many people die of snake bites and crocodile attacks in Africa alone.
37) Makes sense ... we don't have much public transportation, and out population is spread out.